Keanu Dillard and Kollin Rath knew they had targets on their back heading into the PIAA wrestling tournament. None of it mattered as the field couldn’t take down the Bethlehem Catholic duo for a second straight year, as both wrestlers came back from the Giant Center in Hershey with their second straight gold medals.

Dillard (121) scored a 3-1 overtime win over Franklin Regional’s scrappy Tyler Kapusta in the championship round, while Rath held off a very familiar foe in Quakertown’s Collin Gaj 3-2 to beat him for the second straight year in the finals.

“Being a two-time state champ never really mattered to me,” said Rath, a junior. “I just wanted to come out here and win this tournament and wrestle my best. I put all the work in all season to get to this point and my mentality was just to go out and win and believe that.”

Dillard knew his second foray into the PIAA tournament was going to be handled with more experience, as the sophomore knew what to expect in Hershey despite the change in characters looking to knock him off. It still didn’t change his approach to the process.

“I knew I was going to be better prepared this year,” said Dillard. “It was very important to come out here to win another one and then hopefully another one. I wasn’t even the one-seed this year, so I just treat this is as every other tournament. Go out there and score points and wrestle the best I can.”

Even though both wrestlers are accustomed to winning and being in the spotlight, being on the Giant Center floor still gives the best of them nerves.

“I was here the past two years and it’s the same thing, first day nerves hit you,” said Rath. “It’s packed you hear the crowd, you see upsets happening and it makes you think a little, but once you get on the mat and start wrestling, it just goes back to you wrestling your match.”

The Hawks won the team title and came away with five medalists during their stay to cap off another successful season, led by two underclassmen state champions.

Outside of Dillard and Rath, Becahi saw Shane McFillin (145, fourth), Marco Frinzi (139, sixth) and James Deluise (189, seventh) come from with medals as well.